Weft detector for drop-box looms



s'#Pt- 3, 1929- R. G. TURNER 1,726,780

' WEFT DETECTOR FOR DROP BOX LOMS Filed May 23, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 /7 FoP/Veys Sept- 3, 1929. R. G. TURNER 1,726,780

WEFT DETECTOR FOR DROP BOX LOOMS FileaMay 25, 1928 4 sheets-sheet 2 --sept. 3, 1929. 4 R, G TURNE 1,726,780

WEFT DETECTOR FOR.` DROP BOX LOOS Filed May 23, 1928 4 Sheets-Shet \3 Sept. 3, 1929. R. G. TURNER O 1,726,780

WEFT DETECTOR FOR DROP BOX LOOKS Filed Ma'y 23, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 W r i M /17T0/P/wsys- Patented Sept. 3, 1929.

UNITED vSTATES PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD G. TURNER, OF VJORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSGNOR TO CROMPTON 6o KNOWLES LOOM WORKS, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION F MASSACHUSETTS.

WEFT DETECTOR FOR DROP-BOX LOOIVIS.

Application filed May 23,

This invention relates to a weft detector designed to operate with the movable boxes of a drop boX loom. In such a loom it is desirable that the detection of weft exhaustion occur during the movement of the indicated shuttle to active or running position.

It is the obj ect of my invention to provide an improved mechanism for causing the detector to move to a position corresponding to the shuttle to be indicated and to then follow the movement of said shuttle as it moves to running position.

With this general object in view, an important feature of my invention relates to the provision of a friction connection between certain parts of the positioning mechanism so constructed that the detector will be moved in a direction opposed to the movement of the shuttle to a position opposite the Shuttle to be indicatedr and that the connections will then slip to allow the detector to follow the further movement of the shuttle to active position.

My invention further relates to arrangements and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

A preferred'form of the invention is shown in the drawings in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation of parts of a loom embodying my improvements;

Fig. 2 is a sectional side elevation of the friction connection;

Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view,taken along the line 3 3 in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a detail plan View, looking in the direction of the arrow 4 in Fig. 1

' Fig. 5 is a partial side elevation of my improved mechanism with certain parts shown in section;

Fig. 6 is a front elevation of the same parts, looking in the direction ofthe arrow 6 in Fig.

Fig. 7 is a sectional plan view, taken along the line 7`7in Fig.. 5 and showing the weft detecting mechanism;

Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the actuating mechanism for my improved detector;

Fig. 9 is a front elevation thereof.; looking inthe direction of the arrow 9 in Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 isa sectional plan view, taken along the line 10*10 in Fig. 8; and

Figs. 11 and 12 are diagrammatic side ele- 1928. Serial N0, 279,996.

vaticns, showing successive positions of the moving parts.

Referring to the drawings, I have shown portions of a loom frame 2O having the usual lay 21 mounted to swing about a rock shaft 22 and moved by suitable crankshaft connections (not shown). y

Drop boxes 23 are mounted on the usual lifter rod 24 slidable in a bracket 25 (Fig. 9) secured to the rock shaft 22. The lifter rod 24 is provided with a stud 26 engaged by spring arms 27 forming the usual give-way connection to the drop box lever 28 (Figs. 8 and 9). The usual pattern mechanism is provided for raising and lowering the lifter rod 24 and the drop boxes 23, the parts thus far described being of the usual construction.

The weftdetector used in my invention may be of any suitable type and I have shown herein a simple form of side-slip detector 30 (Fig. 7) mounted on a pivoted bracket 3l and engaging a sliding rod 32 which abuts against a knock-off rod 33. The rod 33 rests in a forwardly inclined position in a slot 34 formed in a bracket' 35 secured to the loom frame. In the front wall of the slot there is a rearwardly projecting middle portion 36 7) so that the knock-off rod will be pushed rearward against the force of gravity as the rod is pushed from one end to the other of the slot 34.

The knock-oit rod 33 has a iiange or collar 38 adjacent its upper end which just clears a rearward projection 40 (Fig. 4)/

when the rod is in its left hand or inoperative position. The projection 40 is secured to the hub 41 of a shipper lever 42 mounted on the frame 2O and operative to stop the loom through usual connections (not shown) when the lever 42 is forced rearward or to the left in Fig. 1.

At its lower end, the knock-oif rod 33 is pivoted at 44 to a lever 45 formed integral with the bracket 25 and rocking with the movement of the lay 21. The knock-od' rod 33 is thus regularly reciprocated vertically adjacent the lug` 40 of the shipper lever 42 and when shifted laterally by the detector 3()g the collar 38 thereon engages the lug 40 and causes the loom to be stopped.

An arm 47 (Fig. 7) projects rearward from the shipper handle 42 and is provided with a bevelled or cam face at its rear end,

as indicated at 48, by which the knock-o rod is restored to inoperative position as the shipper handle moves rearwardly and stops the loom.

The detector bracket 3l previously mentioned is pivoted on a cross rod 50 (Figs. 6

and 7), the bracket also providing bearings 51 for the sliding rod 32.

A. positioning rod 54 (Fig. 6) has its upper end pivoted at 55 to the bracket 31 and is provided with a friction or slip connection 56 for a'purpose to be described. At

"l its lower end the positioning rod 54 is piv- 'oted at 57 to a lever 58 (Fig. l) pivotally mounted on aixed bracket 59. At its iear end the lever 58 is pivoted to the box lever 28 previously described.

' position,

be indicated slightly before the shuttle has been moved half way to ruiming position and kbefore the shuttle reaches front center. rllhis gives time for a detecting action of the detector before the lay begins its rearward movement.

As soon as the detectoris brought by this reverse movement to the desired indicating it is necessary vthat it should thereafter move with the shuttle to be indicated and consequently in the opposite direction to that in which it has previously moved.

For this purpose I provide a rod to maintain the detector in operative relation -to the shuttle during its further movement to active position. rlhe rod 60 slides through a bearing 61 (Fig. 7) on the detector brackety31 and is provided with collars 60aM and 60b adjustably secured thereon and engaging the upper or lower surfaces of the bracket 3l.

The collars arespaced apart so that a i considerable lost moti-on is provided. At its ylower end, the rod 60 is pivoted at 63 to an arm 62 fixed to the lower end of the box lifter rod 24.y The rod 60 thus moves vertically in timed relation with the drop boxes.

The details ofthe friction -or slip connection 56 are best shown in Figs. 2 and 3. rIhe connection comprises a split casing enclosing a friction sleeveZO pinned or otherwise secured to the upper end of the positioning rod 54. Yielding friction is provided by clamping screws 71 (Fig. 3) and tension springs 72. The friction may obviously be increased by drawing the nuts 73 on the screws 7l inward to compress they springs 7 2.

' I-Iaving thus described the details of construction of my improved mechanism, the

- method of operation is as follows:

In Figs. l and 5, I have shown the weft detector positioned to cooperate with the shuttle S in the upper shuttle box 23 and with said shuttle box in active or running position. We will now assume that the shuttle S in the lower box is to become active and` it is accordingly desirable to indicate this shuttle for weft exhaustion vbefore it begins its flight across the loom.

is soon as the pattern mechanism indicates a change, the box lifter lever 2S will move upward to raise the lower shuttle S (Fig. l1) and its corresponding shuttle box to operative position. As soon as the box begins to rise, the lever 58 will swing about its pivot, depressing the positioning rod 54 and swinging the detector 30 and its bracket 3l to the position indicated in Fig. 1l, the parts assuming this position before the drop box iasbeen raised quite half way to running position. At the same time the rod 60 has been moving upward with the drop box lifter rod 24 and the collar 63 thereon is about to engage the lower side of the detector bracket 3l. As the box 23 continues to move upward to running position, the rod 60 will also continue its upward movement and the collar 63 will produce a corresponding upward movement of the detector 30, causing the friction member or casing 56 to slip upward along the downwardly moving positioning rod 54. In this way the direction of movement of the detector is abruptly reversed and the detector is maintained in operative relation with the shuttle S as the shuttle swings forward to front center and begins its rearward movement. l'

When the upper shuttle S is thereafter called, the operation of the parts is simply reversed, the positioning rod 54 rst acting to raise the detector 30 to meet the descending upper box and the collar 62 on the Vrod 60 thereafter moving the detector downward in timed relation to the shuttle movement.

As the rod 60 moves with the drop boxes,

the second movement will not take place if movement of the drop boxes is accidentally prevented.

I have thus provided very simple mechanism by which a single detector may operate with either one of two drop boxes; by which it may be very quickly moved to operative position relative'to the shuttle to be indicated; and by which it may be thereafter maintained in lsuch operative relation.

While shown as applied totwo boxes, it will be understood that the broad features of the invention may be applied to looms having more than two boxes.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosedotherwise than as set forth in the claims, but what I claim ist- 1. In a loom, shifting shuttle boxes, a weft CTI detector mounted for vertical movement in said loom, means to move said boxes and saidA detector simultaneously vertically in opposite directions until said detector is substantially horizontally aligned With a selected shuttle box, and means to thereafter move said detector vertically with said boxes to running position, said first moving means including a friction connection.

Q. In a loom, shifting shuttle boxes, a weft detector mounted for vertical movement in said loom, means to move said boxes and said detector simultaneously vertically in opposite directions until said detector is substantially horizontally aligned With the selected shuttle box, and means to thereafter move said detector vertically With said boxes to running position, said rst moving means comprising a detector positioning` rod and a friction connection between said rod and said detector.

3. In a loom, shifting shuttle boxes, a weft detector mounted for vertical movement in said loom, means including a reversing lever effective to move said boxes and said detector simultaneously vertically in opposite directions until said detector is substantially horizontally aligned with a selected shuttle box, and means to thereafter move said detector vertically with said boxes to running position, said first moving means including a friction connection.

4. In a loom, sluiting shuttle boxes, a Weft detector mounted for vertical movement in said loom, means including a friction connection effective to move said boxes andsaid detector simultaneously vertically in opposite directions until said detector is substantially horizontally aligned With a selected shuttle box, and additional means effective to overcome the friction and move said detector in the opposite direction with said shuttle box, While said lirst moving means continues its movement but becomes inoperative.

5. In a loom, shiftingshuttle boxes, a Weft detector mounted for vertical movement in saidv loom, means to move said boxes and said detector simultaneously vertically in opposite directions until said detector is substantially horizontally aligned With a selected shuttle box, and means to thereafter move said detector vertically With Said boxes to running position.

6. In a loom, shifting shuttle boxes, a weft detector mounted for vertical movement in said loom, means to move said boxes and said detector simultaneously vertically in opposite directions until said detector is substantially horizontally aligned with a selected shuttle box, and means to thereafter move said detector vertically with said boxes to running position, said first moving means including a yieldable connection.

n testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature.

RICHARD G. TURNER. 

